Decatur H.S. Concert Choir Crowned Champions In Exclusive National Competition in New York

The Decatur High School Concert Choir returned from New York City April 9 with a first-place trophy from one of the most exclusive high school musical competitions in the country.  The 56 members of the choir, accompanied by staff and parent chaperones, traveled to New York on April 3, and went up against 24 other choirs April 5 and 6 in the National Invitational Festival of Gold, an exclusive competition held as part of the International Heritage Music Festival.

The competition took place in St. Bartholomew’s Church, a landmark Byzantine-style church located in the heart of Manhattan. The choir performed numbers including “I Love My Love” by Gustav Holst, “Elijah Rock” arranged by Moses Hogan and “The Electrifying Cloudburst” by Eric Whitacre.

The group received an overall score of 94.6, with one judge giving them a score of 97.   The most rewarding aspect of winning, Director Steve Gorringe says, was performing in the Gala Concert on stage at Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience bolted to their feet and gave the group a rousing standing ovation. After the performance, Steve told his euphoric students, “I can say with a great degree of certainty that for the majority of you that this will be the only time this happens in your lives. If we went home now I would be satisfied.” Steve calls it, “My proudest moment as a musician and an educator.”

While in New York, the group didn’t waste the opportunity to get in as much sightseeing as possible. They caught a New York Yankees game in their last season at historic Yankees Stadium, and made time to visit Times Square, Little Italy, and Central Park, as well as taking a cruise around the Statue of Liberty.  They also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and saw the Broadway musical “Wicked.”

Decatur High School Choir students, with the support of the Choir Boosters, travel yearly to cities such as San Francisco, New York, Anaheim, and Vancouver, B.C. They have earned recognition as one of the top performing choral groups in the nation. 

April 16, 2008